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Post by Jan on Feb 5, 2016 7:17:27 GMT
I hope they're going to do something a little more interesting with the casting of Amadeus (in addition to the extremely promising start of casting Lucian Msamati, obviously) - it's all very well *saying* you're committed to sorting out gender equality in your theatre, but then when you program a play with only one female speaking part... On gender equality, they have said they will have a 50/50 split of female/male directors and living playwrights by 2020. My question is why not now ? What's stopping them ? Can anyone give a single reason why they have to wait 4-5 years to implement this ? |
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Post by Deleted on Feb 5, 2016 7:22:31 GMT
Royal Hunt of the Sun was done a while back at the National... Yes, a really awful Trevor Nunn production. I'm glad someone else thought so too...! |
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Post by Jan on Feb 5, 2016 8:32:34 GMT
Yes, a really awful Trevor Nunn production. I'm glad someone else thought so too...! Everyone who saw it surely ? |
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Post by Deleted on Feb 5, 2016 9:00:56 GMT
I hope they're going to do something a little more interesting with the casting of Amadeus (in addition to the extremely promising start of casting Lucian Msamati, obviously) - it's all very well *saying* you're committed to sorting out gender equality in your theatre, but then when you program a play with only one female speaking part... On gender equality, they have said they will have a 50/50 split of female/male directors and living playwrights by 2020. My question is why not now ? What's stopping them ? Can anyone give a single reason why they have to wait 4-5 years to implement this ? I agree, in an ideal world they could start now. But I wonder if it has a little to do with existing commitments of the playwrights/directors in question? Not to mention making room for the up-and-coming talent that may be more in a position, experience-wise, to take on an NT show in four years' time. |
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Post by Deleted on Feb 5, 2016 10:27:49 GMT
On yesterday's Twitter #AskRufus, @angelastreet1 asked: "Why is it taking 5 more years to achieve gender equality?" and Rufus replied: "Five-year equality/diversity plan is across whole organisation. We aim to get there sooner with writing."
I think it's fairly obvious why this will take time for departmental staffing to transition to achieve the planned equality/diversity. Presumably the NT will implement the plan piecemeal as current staff leave naturally, with no need for redundancies, and in five years the NT can review the outcome to see whether further actin is still required in some parts of the organisation.
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Post by Jan on Feb 5, 2016 11:07:00 GMT
On yesterday's Twitter #AskRufus, @angelastreet1 asked: "Why is it taking 5 more years to achieve gender equality?" and Rufus replied: "Five-year equality/diversity plan is across whole organisation. We aim to get there sooner with writing." I think it's fairly obvious why this will take time for departmental staffing to transition to achieve the planned equality/diversity. Presumably the NT will implement the plan piecemeal as current staff leave naturally, with no need for redundancies, and in five years the NT can review the outcome to see whether further actin is still required in some parts of the organisation. The board should take the lead and half of them should resign now. It does not fill one with confidence that the likes of Rusbridger are on it with his track record at the Guardian of stuffing all the senior positions with white public-school Oxbridge types just like himself. |
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NT 2016
Feb 5, 2016 11:44:32 GMT
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Post by Snciole on Feb 5, 2016 11:44:32 GMT
To boldly speculate as Jan Brock reminded me in another thread.
Anthony is a pretty thankless part for an actor like Fiennes (Is he/she too old should be in the FAQ) so he must either want to tick it off or he has a top dollar actress in mind. McCrory has said she wants to do it but who else has the gravitas?
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Post by Jan on Feb 5, 2016 12:07:54 GMT
On yesterday's Twitter #AskRufus, @angelastreet1 asked: "Why is it taking 5 more years to achieve gender equality?" and Rufus replied: "Five-year equality/diversity plan is across whole organisation. We aim to get there sooner with writing." I think it's fairly obvious why this will take time for departmental staffing to transition to achieve the planned equality/diversity. Presumably the NT will implement the plan piecemeal as current staff leave naturally, with no need for redundancies, and in five years the NT can review the outcome to see whether further actin is still required in some parts of the organisation. Just by the way it was very imprudent of Rufus to say this. The press release said only gender equality in directors and new playwrights. To implement a recruitment policy for staff positions based on gender (or racial) targets is simply illegal in UK and the fact he's effectively admitted here they are implementing one will be dragged up at the first employment tribunal hearing by a middle-aged white man turned down for a job. For any particular staff job they simply aren't allowed to favour one candidate over another based on gender. Suggesting that redundancies could be used to further such an aim is so catastrophically illegal it would probably be enough for the entire board and directorate to lose their jobs. |
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Post by Jan on Feb 5, 2016 12:09:53 GMT
To boldly speculate as Jan Brock reminded me in another thread. Anthony is a pretty thankless part for an actor like Fiennes (Is he/she too old should be in the FAQ) so he must either want to tick it off or he has a top dollar actress in mind. McCrory has said she wants to do it but who else has the gravitas? And that is partly why actors hate the role, the top dollar actress gets all the attention and plaudits. The way the play is structured Antony is really just a supporting role. |
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Post by Deleted on Feb 5, 2016 12:24:46 GMT
Ridiculously, even though Cleopatra is arguably the largest female part in the canon, Antony has more lines than she does. But still gets nowhere near as much attention. And sometimes his comparatively early death is a blissful relief for audiences, depending on who's playing the role...
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Post by Jan on Feb 5, 2016 12:28:57 GMT
Ridiculously, even though Cleopatra is arguably the largest female part in the canon, Antony has more lines than she does. But still gets nowhere near as much attention. And sometimes his comparatively early death is a blissful relief for audiences, depending on who's playing the role... The most ill-assorted pair I saw were Diana Rigg and Denis Quilley (playing the role as a block of wood). |
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Post by Raven on Feb 5, 2016 20:52:25 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Feb 6, 2016 11:09:46 GMT
NT Future was judged the UK Theatre Building of the Year in The Stage Awards.
Anyone agree??
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Post by Phantom of London on Feb 6, 2016 18:32:23 GMT
Didn't the late Jack Tinker say "I will begin to like the National Theatre, when my beard reaches my knees."
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Post by Deleted on Feb 6, 2016 19:42:03 GMT
Didn't the late Jack Tinker say "I will begin to like the National Theatre, when my beard reaches my knees." He was very short though... |
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Post by lynette on Feb 6, 2016 20:51:46 GMT
NT Future was judged the UK Theatre Building of the Year in The Stage Awards. Anyone agree?? O give me strength |
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Post by Deleted on Feb 7, 2016 10:28:46 GMT
I think the NT refurb has been done pretty well - it still looks and feels like the NT but there is more space and more seating. The new cafe does some nice grub and I'm more likely to eat there now that I can be reasonably confident of getting a seat. It's now much easier to get round the ground floor without bottlenecks of people blocking the way. And you don't have to walk past a load of bins to get in. We might take it for granted, but you only have to go to other theatres (cf my endless moaning about how unwelcoming the RSC is) to realise that they are well aherad of the pack. I like the new pub, and the staff there are 100000% more effcient that those at the Southbank Centre at dealing with summer crowds.
I've tried the Green Room restaurant twice now and it was rubbish both times, so won't be going back. Some you win...
Controversially, I hope they get rid of the Shed/Temporary Theatre soon so we get the square back for summer.
I wish the early evening music would come back.
This is the end of my random musings.
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NT 2016
Feb 7, 2016 11:02:21 GMT
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Post by Someone in a tree on Feb 7, 2016 11:02:21 GMT
The shed or what ever it's called blocks out even more light - silly positioning unless nuclear bunker was part of the design brief
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NT 2016
Feb 7, 2016 12:27:52 GMT
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Post by Jan on Feb 7, 2016 12:27:52 GMT
The shed or what ever it's called blocks out even more light - silly positioning unless nuclear bunker was part of the design brief It's surprisingly good inside though. |
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Post by showgirl on Feb 7, 2016 15:36:39 GMT
I say keep the Shed (or whatever it's called this week); it is the most affordable of the venues and imho has the most consistently interesting - if not necessarily always appealing - programming.
But scrub the free music and yet more events - the whole area is crowded and noisy enough as it is, what with theatre-goers, those going to eat/drink and tourists exploring the South Bank.
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NT 2016
Feb 7, 2016 15:58:35 GMT
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Post by Jan on Feb 7, 2016 15:58:35 GMT
I say keep the Shed (or whatever it's called this week); it is the most affordable of the venues and imho has the most consistently interesting - if not necessarily always appealing - programming. But scrub the free music and yet more events - the whole area is crowded and noisy enough as it is, what with theatre-goers, those going to eat/drink and tourists exploring the South Bank. Too late, they're closing it, the usual tactic by public bodies to close something very visible and popular to highlight THE CUTS. |
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Post by caa on Feb 7, 2016 16:03:57 GMT
NT Future was judged the UK Theatre Building of the Year in The Stage Awards. Anyone agree?? I really feel that for all the money spent, the NT has lost something that made it special, they have stopped doing exhibitions, eg the landscape photography show is now on in Waterloo Train Stn and they stopped having live music a few years ago. What the NT feels like now is a cross between a gastro pub and a library all be it with low lighting.
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Post by Jan on Feb 7, 2016 16:17:32 GMT
NT Future was judged the UK Theatre Building of the Year in The Stage Awards. Anyone agree?? I really feel that for all the money spent, the NT has lost something that made it special, they have stopped doing exhibitions, eg the landscape photography show is now on in Waterloo Train Stn and they stopped having live music a few years ago. What the NT feels like now is a cross between a gastro pub and a library all be it with low lighting.
Just incidentally their claim in their recent press release that their subsidy was cut by 30% is a flat out lie. Also a lie is this claim on their website: "In 2014-15 the NT's Arts Council grant is £17.8million, down from £19.7million in 2010-11: a reduction of over 25% in real terms". £19.7 million in 2011 is worth £21.65 million in 2015 (average inflation 2.3%) so £17.8 million represents a cut of 17.5% to that figure (in real terms). Surprised with so many accountants on the board they can't manage to get the figures right, I suppose they think they can print any old rubbish and people will believe it because they want to. |
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Post by Deleted on Feb 7, 2016 17:46:26 GMT
I would have thought that the rename to Temporary Theatre would have clued people in as to it not being there for much longer.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 7, 2016 18:13:04 GMT
£19.7 million in 2011 is worth £21.65 million in 2015 (average inflation 2.3%) so £17.8 million represents a cut of 17.5% to that figure (in real terms). Surprised with so many accountants on the board they can't manage to get the figures right, I suppose they think they can print any old rubbish and people will believe it because they want to. Calculating from 2010 to 2014 here gives £22.56 million. From there it looks as though they've done the calculation the wrong way round: 22.65 is an increase of 26% over 17.80, but they should be going the other way and 17.80 is a reduction of 21% from 22.65. |
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